East Asia
Chapters 27-29
Landforms
• High mountains in this region limited contact
between people living in Asia
– Kunlun Mountains- located west of China
– Qinling Shandi Mountains- divide north and south
China.
• Although very mountainous, some low lying
plains exist and are sparsely populated.
– Plateau of Tibet, Tarim Pendi Basin.
Landforms
• Deserts
– Largest desert in the world, the Gobi is larger than
Texas and California combined
• Peninsulas
– The eastern coast of China
• Many ports due to large coastline
• Korean Peninsula
– The Islands of East Asia
• Formed by continental shelf
• Hong Kong is part of this island chain
Rivers
• Three great rivers in China
– Huang He (Yellow River): causes terrible flooding
– Chang Jiang (Yangtze River): Longest river in Asia,
major trade route
– Xi Jiang (West River): forms large estuary- where a
river meets ocean tides
– Yalu Jiang: forms border between China and
Korea and was the starting point of the Korean
War
Resources
• Natural and mineral resources are unevenly distributed
throughout East Asia.
– Example: China, North Korea, and Mongolia have plentiful
resources and Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan do not
– The latter three are great world powers nonetheless
• Land and Forests
– Due to mountainous areas, agriculture is limited
– Vast supplies of forests to all countries and areas
• Mineral and Energy Resources
– China has large supply of petroleum, coal, and natural gas
– Japan trades for what it needs
Climate
• Subarctic- small sliver in northern Mongolia that
has extremely cold climate
• Highland- Western China, the higher the altitude
and latitude, the colder it gets, sparsely
populated, vast tundra
• Humid Continental- NE China, North Korea, and
northern South Korea, temperate grasslands
• Humid Subtropical- SE China, Southern South
Korea, and Taiwan, forests of mixed variety and
sandy soil
Human-Environment Interaction
• Three Gorges Dam
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Built on the Chang Jiang
Controls flooding on the 3rd largest river in the world
Also creates energy
World’s biggest dam
• Positive Effects:
– Irrigates ½ of Chinese crops
– Allows ships to reach the Chinese interior
– Provides power
• Negative Effects:
– Between 1 and 2 million people have had to relocate due to
water levels
– Construction costs
Human-Environment Interaction
• Japanese Overcrowding
– 60% of Japanese live on 3% of the land
– Pollution
• Mercury poisoning causes disease
– Adapting to limited space
• Shown great ingenuity in adapting to space
• Landfills: soil waste disposal method in which trash is
buried between layers of dirt to fill low lying ground
– Creating more land in large cities
China
• China has been settled for over 4,000 years
• Lived off dynasty rule:
– A series of rulers from the same family
• Shang Dynasty- 1st Chinese dynasty
• Zhou Dynasty- ruled Northern China
• Qin Dynasty- Gave China its name and established a
strong central government
• Han Dynasty- moved China into central Asia
• Qing- People of Manchuria
China
• China remained isolated and separated from
the world for centuries until 13th century
– Trade allowed other countries into China and
carved up the realm due to China’s lack of military
– Spheres of Influence: Controlled by Britain,
France, Germany, Russia, and Japan
– Boxer Rebellion in 1900: Chinese tried to
overthrow Western ideas and influence
China
• Chinese Revolution
– Qing Dynasty tried to reform government after the
Boxer Rebellion
• It was too late
– 1912, Sun Yat-sen lead China into a republic
– 1925, General Chiang Kai-shek took over the
Nationalist party for Sun Yat-sen (died) and increased
communism
– 1949, Mao Zedong takes over and communism won
over in China
– 1976, Deng Xiaoping modernizes China’s political
machine
China
• The Economies of China
– Rural Economy:
• China is a largely rural society
• Self-Sufficient in farming
– Industrial Economy:
• Manufacture coal, iron ore, and oil
• Shanghai is the manufacturing center of China
China
• Religions of China
– Confucianism:
• Started by Confucius around 551 BC
• People should know their past ancestors and honor their elders
• Education is important
– Taoism
• From the book Tao-te-Ching
• Importance of restoring harmony with self and nature
• Government should leave people alone
– Buddhism
• Came to China from India
• Rebirth cycle
Mongolia and Taiwan
• The Mongols were nomadic herders for
thousands of years
• Genghis Khan expanded Mongol’s area
– Fought China and lost in the 14th Century
– Ruled by China until 1911
– Mongolia lived under Communist rule for about
72 years
– Now working to modernization and freeenterprise
Mongolia and Taiwan
• Taiwan is an island that was settled by Malay and
Polynesian peoples
• The Han dynasty took over the island
• The island was won in a war between China and
Japan
– Japan kept control of the island until the end of WWII
– After WWII, became Communist with Mao Zedong
• China today does not recognize Taiwan as a
separate nation
– Still considers it a province of China
Mongolia and Taiwan
• Mongolia still has nomads and farming is essential
• Taiwan is still and island and trade is still essential
• Mongolia working to update infrastructure and herding
methods to open up trade with the rest of the world
• Taiwan has one of the world’s most successful
economies
– Despite resources
– Economic Tiger: a nation that has a rapid economic growth
due to cheap labor and high technology
– Part of the Pacific Rim: Countries that surround the Pacific
Ocean
The Koreas
• A Divided Peninsula
– Ancestors came from Manchuria and northern China
– Invaded by Japan and China due to location
• Three Kingdoms
– Koreans gradually won back independence
– Koguryo, Paekche, Silla kingdoms
– Silla kingdom eventually conquered the other two
• Yi S’ong-gye became ruler in 1392 and ruled his
dynasty ruled for centuries
– Japan invaded before WWII and ruled until after the
war.
The Koreas
• Korea split after WWII
– North controlled by Soviet Union
– South supported by United States
• 1950, Korean War broke out
– Communists (North and China) vs. Democratic (US and
South Korea)
– War ended in stalemate
– Sides remained hostile until 2000, tried to start
unification process but North Korea is still ruled by
crazy dictator
The Koreas
• Korea has adapted many ideas from China
– Confucianism
– Buddhism
– Communism
• Before the Korean War, economy was very
agricultural based
– Experts say a unified Korean peninsula would form an
economic powerhouse
• Example: Resources from North Korea and trade in South
Korea
– South Korea is a Tiger Economy
Japan
• Made into four islands
– Honshu(main), Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu
• Samurai and Shogun
– Until 300 AD, Japan was separate clans that farmed and
traded
– Yamato clan became ruling clan
• Called themselves the emperors of Japan and claimed to be
descendants of the sun goddess
– From 794-1185, Japan had a strong central government
• Landowners and clan chiefs tried to grab land and power of their
area
– Samurai- professional soldier (“one who guards”)
Japan
• Samurai and Shoguns
– Shogun- was the general of the emperor’s army with
powers of a military dictator
– All officials, judges, and armies were under his power
– Appointed provincial governors called Daimyo
• Their job was to keep order in their area
– Shogun ruled for 700 years until…
• Mongols tried to invade (a bunch of times)
• Portuguese traders brought religion and guns (1500s)
• Matthew Perry arrived in the name of the US (1853)
Japan
• Emerging World Power
– Japan expanded empire from 19th-20th century
– Fought with the Axis during WWII
• Lost war and the US took over the government and
introduced reforms to political and economic systems
– Japan ranks only behind the US and China in economy
– Most industry and manufacturing lies 100 miles along
the main island of Honshu
• Manufacturing and trade are the heart of their economy
– Very strong alliances between businesses and the
government
Japan
• Culture
– Eastern Influence:
• Language, art, music, religion, and government is borrowed
from China
– Western Influence:
• Sports, fashion, architecture
• Education
– Highly structured
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6 days a week
Shorter summer vacations
Free school from k-8
High schools are chosen (called juku) and are competitive
East Asia Issues
• Ring of Fire
– A chain of volcanoes that line the Pacific Rim
– Cause a shifting of tectonic plates
• Create earthquakes and tsunamis
– Many older buildings are not able to sustain this stress
– Created strict building codes
• How does East Asia continue to see an economic
and population boom with these problems?
• What happens when they cannot prepare for the
worst?
East Asia Issues
• Trade and Prosperity
– Open to the world since 1800s
– Global economies- nations become dependent on each other
for goods and services
– Powerful economies
• Jakota Triangle (Japan, Korea, and Taiwan)
– World Recession hurt the economies of East Asia
• May have caused global recession
• Sweatshops are protested around the world
• What is the best practice by countries of East Asia toward
their global economy?
• How does population and the United States help or hurt
these economies?